The Oriel Window

  CHAPTER V

  JESSE PIGGOT

  Miss Lilly's face was cheerful too. At least so it seemed to Ferdy, forshe was smiling, and immediately began speaking in a bright, quick way.

  But Chrissie looked at her once or twice and "understood." She saw fainttraces of tears having been very lately in her governess's kind eyes,and she heard a little tremble in the voice below the cheeriness. "Mydear Ferdy," Miss Lilly was saying, "see what comes of holidays! Muchbetter have lessons than accidents, but it's an ill wind that blows nogood. We shall have famous time now for your _favourite_ lessons--sumsand--"

  "Now, Miss Lilly, you're joking--you know you are," said Ferdy, lookingup in her face with his sweet blue eyes--eyes that to the young girl'sfancy looked very wistful that morning. He had stretched out his arms,and was clasping them round her neck. Ferdy was very fond of MissLilly. "_Aren't_ you joking?" He wasn't quite, quite sure if she was,for sums were one of the few crooks in Ferdy's lot, and rather a soresubject.

  Something in the tone of his voice made Miss Lilly kiss him again as shereplied, "Of course I'm joking, my dear little matter-of-fact. No, yourmamma says you are only to do your _really_ favourite lessons for a weekor two, and not those if they tire you. We are all going to spoil you,I'm afraid, my boy."

  "I don't want to be spoilt," said Ferdy. "Chrissie and I have beentalking. I want to make plans and be--be useful or some good tosomebody, even if I have to stay in bed a good bit. What I most want toget out of bed for is to lie on the sofa and have the end of it pulledinto the window, so that I can see along the roads all ways. Oh,Chrissie, you must tell Miss Lilly about the swallows, and--and--whatwas it I wanted to ask you?" He looked round, as if he were ratherpuzzled.

  "Are you not talking too much?" said Miss Lilly, for the little fellow'seyes were very bright--too bright, she feared. "Chrissie dear, perhapsyou can remember what Ferdy wanted to ask me about."

  "Oh, I know," said Ferdy; "it was about Jesse Piggot. Chrissie, youask."

  "We saw you talking to him--at least I did--out of the window, and wewondered what it was about. They all say he's a very naughty boy, MissLilly."

  "I know," Miss Lilly replied. "He's a Draymoor boy"--Draymoor was thename of the mining village that Ferdy had been thinking about on hisbirthday morning--"or rather he used to be, till his uncle there died."

  "And now he lives at Farmer Meare's, where he works, but he's stillnaughty," said Chrissie, as if it was rather surprising that the havingleft off living at the black village had not made Jesse good at once.

  Miss Lilly smiled.

  "I don't think everybody at Draymoor is naughty," she said. "I thinkJesse would have been a difficult boy to manage anywhere, thoughDraymoor isn't a place with much in the way of good example certainly.But I hope it's getting a little better. If one could get hold of thechildren." She sat silent for a moment or two, her eyes looking as ifthey saw scenes not there. "I know several of the miners' families wholive nearer us than Draymoor--at Bollins, and there are some such nicechildren among them."

  Bollins was a small hamlet on the Draymoor road, and the little housewhere Miss Lilly lived with her grandfather, an elderly man who had oncebeen a doctor, was just at the Evercombe side of Bollins.

  "But you haven't told us what you were saying to Jesse," said Chrissie.

  "Oh no," said Miss Lilly. "Poor boy, it was nice of him. He was askinghow Master Ferdy was."

  Ferdy looked pleased.

  "Did you tell him I was better?" he asked.

  "I said I hoped so, but that I had not seen you yet. And then he askedif he might send you his 'respexs' and 'Was there any birds' eggs you'da fancy for?'"

  "Poor Jesse," said Ferdy. "But birds' eggs are one of the things he'sbeen so naughty about--taking them all and selling them to somebody atFreston. Papa's almost sure--at least Ferguson is--that he took somethrushes' eggs out of our garden. Fancy, Miss Lilly!"

  "And then for him to offer to get Ferdy any," said Chrissie.

  "He knows I c'lect them," said Ferdy; "but papa told me long ago, when Iwas quite little, never to take all the eggs, and _I've_ never takenmore than one. If you see Jesse again will you tell him he must nevertake more than one, Miss Lilly?"

  "I think in this case," she replied, "it is better to tell him not totake any at all--the temptation would be too great if he knows he canalways sell them. I told him I would give you his message, but that Idid not think you wanted any eggs that he could get you, and I advisedhim to leave bird's-nesting alone, as it had already got him intotrouble."

  "What did he say?" asked Christine.

  "He looked rather foolish and said he 'had nought to do of an evening,that was what got him into mischief; it wasn't as if he had a home ofhis own,' though as far as that goes, I see plenty of boys who _have_homes of their own idling about in the evenings. It doesn't matter inthe summer, but in the winter grandfather and I often feel sorry forthem, and wish we could do something to amuse them. But now, Chrissiedear, we had better go to the schoolroom; your mamma is coming to sitwith Ferdy for an hour or so."

  "Good-bye, darling," said Chrissie, as she stooped to kiss Ferdy's palelittle face--it had grown very pale again since the excitement of seeingMiss Lilly had faded away. "We shall be back soon--won't we, MissLilly?" she went on, turning to her governess as they left the roomtogether.

  "It depends on how he is," was the reply. "Mrs. Ross hopes that he willhave a little sleep now, but if he is awake and not too tired when youhave finished your lessons, I will read aloud to you both in his room."

  "Miss Lilly," began Chrissie again, looking up very sadly when they wereseated at the schoolroom table, "I don't want to be silly, but I reallydon't feel as if I could do any lessons. It is so--so dreadful to bewithout Ferdy, when you think that only the day before yesterday wewere both here together and so happy, looking forward to his birthday,"and the child put her head down on her arms and broke into deep thoughquiet sobs.

  In an instant Miss Lilly had left her place and was kneeling on thefloor beside her.

  "My poor little Chrissie, my dear little Chrissie," she said, "I am sosorry for you," and the tone of her voice showed that it was difficultfor her to keep back her own tears,--"so very sorry; but remember, dear,that we can do much better for Ferdy by controlling our grief than bygiving way to it. A great deal depends on keeping him cheerful andhappily employed and interested. When I got your mother's note yesterdayafternoon--oh dear, what a shock it was to me!--I spoke to mygrandfather about Ferdy a great deal, and he said in such cases muchdepends on not letting the nervous system give way. Do you understand atall what I mean?"

  "Yes, I think so," said Chrissie, drying her eyes and listening eagerly."You mean if poor Ferdy was to lie there all day alone, like some poorchildren have to do, I daresay, he'd get to feel as if he would neverget well again."

  "Just so," said Miss Lilly, pleased to see how sensible Chrissie was."Of course, he must not be tired or allowed to excite himself, and for afew days he is sure to be restless and fidgety from weakness; but as hegradually gets stronger again in himself, we must do all we can not onlyto amuse him, but to keep up his interest in things and people outsidehimself."

  "I know," said Chrissie, "if he can feel he's of any good to anybody,that would make him happier than anything. Ferdy has never been selfish,has he, Miss Lilly?"

  "No, he certainly has never seemed so, and I do not think suffering andtrial such as he may have to bear will make him so."

  Chrissie's face fell again at the two sad words.

  Miss Lilly saw it, and went on speaking quietly. "I don't mean anythingvery dreadful, dear, but he may have to stay in bed or on a couch for along time, and of course that cannot but be a great trial to an activeboy. Let us get on with your lessons now, Chrissie, in case Ferdy isawake when they are over."

  He was not awake. He slept a good part of the morning, which Mrs. Ross,sitting beside him, was very glad of; and when at last he opened hiseyes and looked about him, it was not long before
a smile came to hisface, and he cheered his mother by saying he felt "so nicely rested."

  "May Chris and Miss Lilly come back now?" he asked. "Miss Lilly said shewould read aloud."

  Yes, Chris and Miss Lilly would be only too happy to come, but firstFerdy must be "good" and drink some beef-tea, which was standing allready.

  It was rather an effort to do so. Ferdy did not like beef-tea, and hewas not at all hungry, and he just wanted to lie still and not bebothered. But "To please me" from his mother was enough, and when shekissed him and said he _was_ "a good boy," he told her, laughing, thathe felt as if he were a little baby again.

  Chrissie's face brightened when she heard the sound of her brother'slaugh.

  "Are you feeling better, Ferdy dear?" she said. "I _am_ so glad, andMiss Lilly has brought a story-book of her own that we have never read."

  "Oh, how nice!" said Ferdy. "Do tell me the name of the book, MissLilly."

  "It is short stories," she replied. "I will read you the names of someof them, and you shall choose which you would like best."

  The titles were all very tempting, but Ferdy made a good hit, and fixedupon one of the most interesting in the book, so said Miss Lilly. It wasabout a family of children in Iceland, and though it was rather long,they wished there was more of it when it came to an end. Then Miss Lillylooked at her watch.

  "There is still a quarter of an hour," she said, as she turned over theleaves. "Yes, here is a short story, which will just about fill up thetime."

  Ferdy and Chrissie looked very pleased, but they did not say anything.They were so afraid of losing any of the precious fifteen minutes.